Bobby "Blue" Bland, 1930-2013

I was astounded the first time I saw Bobby "Blue" Bland.  I don’t recall many details about the performance at his co-headlining appearance with B.B. King at the Uptown Theater in in 1979 or 1980.  It was the composition of the audience that surprised me.  I was one of just a few white people at the show. 

Even a surly teenager from the suburbs could recognize that Bland’s music was universal.  Yet aside from his appearances at festivals, the six or seven Bland concerts I attended were barely integrated even after the blues boom of the mid-’80s reacquainted white audiences with the form.   I still fail to comprehend why- unlike his longtime associate B.B. King- Bland never crossed over to a mainstream audience. 

Bland’s presentation- squall and all- was impeccable.  He always carried a large band.  Maybe Bland’s health stood in the way.   Even back at that show at the Uptown over thirty years ago, Bland seemed frail.  In spite of the physical challenges he faced, Bland never failed to deliver.  Even his final Kansas City appearance at the 2011 edition of the Rhythm & Ribs Jazz & Blues Festival was solid.  I envy those who saw him in his prime.

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My review of Widespread Panic’s concert last weekend has displeased a lot of people.

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I participated in a discussion of the Best Kansas City Music of 2013 (so far) on KCUR’s Up To Date.

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KCUR catches up with Charles Love of Bloodstone.

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A collabo between Tech N9ne and the Doors?  Makes sense to me.

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I have no idea what's going on in this weird art film about Don Cherry.

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There Stands the Glass reader Phil turned me on to the East River String Band podcast.

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I don’t care for most of what's in Julieta Venegas' bag.

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Dear Diary, I grew up hearing David Allan Coe’s ”If That Ain’t Country” played in my home. I didn’t think anything of it when I was a kid.

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I'm looking forward to spending quality time with this week's new releases by Amon Amarth, Andy Bey, Booker T, Bosnian Rainbows, India.Arie, Smith Westerns, Mavis Staples, Transplants, Wale and Yellowjackets after I listen to Dessa’s Parts of Speech's  album.

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Ornette Coleman’s 1970 album Friends and Neighbors has been reissued.  RIYL: proof of the existence of a higher power, genius, America.

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Kansas City Click:  My official picks are published here.  Bonus pick: Adam Marsland appears at the RecordBar on Friday. He's RIYL Billy Vera, Alex Chilton, Har Mar Superstar.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Where Are We Now? Music Midway in 2013

Best Albums (Spotify playlist)
Thanks to seamless streaming services, I've listened to over 225 new releases in their entirety during the first six months of 2013.  These are indeed "the days of miracle and wonder."

1. Pat Metheny- Tap: John Zorn’s Book of Angels, vol. 20
2. The Grisly Hand- Country Singles
3. Ghostface Killah and Adrian Younge- Twelve Reasons To Die
4. Kvelertak- Meir
5. Kanye West- Yeezus
6. José James- No Beginning No End
7. Mark Lowrey- Tangos for 18th Street
8. A$AP Rocky- Long Live A$AP
9. Barbara Hannigan and Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France- Dutilleux: Correspondances
10. Fidlar- Fidlar
11. Joe Lovano & Us Five- Cross Culture
12. Bassekou Kouyate and Ngoni Ba- Jama Ko
13. Baptists- Bushcraft
14. Rudresh Mahanthappa- Gamak
15. George Strait- Love Is Everything
16. Bill Frisell- Big Sur
17. James Blake- Overgrown
18. Cherokee Rock Rifle- Ta-Li
19. Terri Lyne Carrington- Money Jungle: Provocative in Blue
20. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds- Push the Sky Away
21. Soweto Kinch- The Legend of Mike Smith
22. Alaturka- Yalniz
23. The Haxan Cloak- Excavation
24. DJ Muggs- Bass For Your Face
25. Pat Metheny- The Orchestrion Project


Best Singles (Spotify playlist)
My car may not have heat or air conditioning, but it has a radio.

1. B.o.B- "We Still In This Bitch"
2. Janelle Monae- "Q.U.E.E.N."
3. Justin Timberlake- "Suit & Tie"
4. David Bowie- "Where Are We Now?"
5. Marc Anthony- "Vivir Mi Vida"
6. Tamar Braxton- "Love and War"
7. Pusha T- "Numbers On the Boards"
8. José James- "Trouble"
9. Black Sabbath- "God Is Dead?"
10. Kutt Calhoun- "I Been Dope"
11. Charlie Wilson- "My Love Is All I Have"
12. Robin Thicke- "Blurred Lines"
13. Ashley Monroe- "Like a Rose"
14. Chris Brown- "Fine China"
15. Florida Georgia Line featuring Nelly- "Cruise (Remix)"
16. Carlos Vives- "Como Le Gusta a Tu Cuerpo"
17. Alice In Chains- "Stone"
18. Future- "Karate Chop (Remix)"
19. Kelly Rowland- "Dirty Laundry"
20. Rittz- "Switch Lanes"
21. Ms. Jody- "Still Strokin'"
22. Kenny Chesney- "When I See This Bar"
23. Dr#ke- "Started From the Bott#m"
24. Frank Turner- "Recovery"
25. Deftones- "Swerve City"


Best Shows
I've taken in 163 performances during the first six months of 2013.

1. Bobby Rush- Living Room at Knuckleheads
2. Mary J. Blige- Sprint Center
3. The Grisly Hand- Take Five Coffee + Bar
4. Rakim- Riot Room
5. Julian Lage and Jorge Roeder- Yardley Hall
6. Grizzly Bear- Uptown Theater
7. Diana Krall- Midland Theater
8. Volbeat- Penn Valley Park
9. Dave Douglas- Blue Room
10. Limp Bizkit- Granada
11. The Appleseed Cast- Riot Room
12. Making Movies- Yardley Hall
13. Kurt Elling- Gem Theater
14. They Might Be Giants- Crossroads KC
15. The Matt Otto/Alan Ferber Quartet- Westport Coffee House
16. Sweet Honey In the Rock- Muriel Kauffman Theatre
17. Gov't Mule- Uptown Theater
18. James Carter- Folly Theater
19. A Celebration of the Poetry of Langston Hughes with Vinson Cole- White Recital Hall
20. People's Liberation Big Band- RecordBar
21. Elena Urioste and Gabriela Martinez- Folly Theater
22. Diverse with Tony Tixier- house party
23. C.J. Boyd- Psychfest HQ
24.  Eliane Elias- Folly Theater
25. Jason Isbell and 400 Unit- Crossroads KC

(Original image of Regina Carter and Yacouba Sissoko at the American Jazz Museum on April 4 by There Stands the Glass.)

Concert Review: Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit at Crossroads KC

I'd worked up a mean thirst by the time Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit hit the stage at Crossroads KC last night.  Yet I'd already determined that I wasn't going to have a single drink.

After writing a few of the most harrowing songs about substance abuse of the past twenty years, Isbell has gone straight.  An excellent profile in The New York Times examined Isbell's recovery.  Out of respect for Isbell's bold change of course (as well as for the sake of my bank account), I abstained.

Based on the strength of the new album Southeastern, I knew Isbell and his band would be solid.  I wasn't sure, however, if he'd be willing to dip into his past work.  Much to my delight, he sang the disturbing ode to suicide-in-slow-motion "Goddamn Lonely Love" from the Drive-By Truckers' classic The Dirty South album with conviction.  "Codeine" and "Outfit" were similarly exceptional examinations of the dark side of life. 

As if to offer further proof that he wouldn't let his new perspective prevent him from addressing songs about decadence, he and his band covered the Stones' sordid "Can't You Hear Me Knocking."  Isbell is a hero.


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A remarkable footnote regarding last night's concert: Almost 1,000 people paid $18 or more to hear Isbell, American Aquarium and the Turnpike Troubadours even though the show conflicted with two free performances by country notables- current Nashville hit-makers Gloriana at the KC Live! stage and BR549's Chuck Mead at a suburban shopping center.  Kansas City really loves its country.

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Slim Whitman has died.  His 1951 version of "Indian Love Call," of course, is one of the most amazing documents of the 20th century.  And gee, does anyone else remember these Whitman infomercials?

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Let You Tell It is Stik Figa's new three-song EP.  RIYL: Mos Def, Tech N9ne, Topeka.

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The Guardian takes notice of Radkey.

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TIm Finn checks in with the Pedaljets.

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The jazz trio of Massot, Florizoone and Horbaczewski is RIYL Astor Piazzolla, Howard Johnson, travel.

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Regular reader BGO shared an amazing document with There Stands the Glass.  In an essay published by Negro Digest in 1961, Duke Ellington suggests that "Rock-and-roll is the most raucous form of jazz, beyond a doubt; it maintains a link with the folk origins, and I believe that no other form of jazz has ever been accepted so enthusiastically by so many."

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Are we living in the golden age of French pop music?  Maître Gims' "J'me tire" is RIYL: Akon, Wyclef Jean, Justin Timberlake.

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Have you heard ELEW, aka Eric Lewis? RIYL: Scott Joplin, Art Tatum, Brad Mehldau.

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Bill Frisell's Big Sur is spectacular.  RIYL: string quartets, Charlie Haden, Eric Dolphy.

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Gummy Soul created a mashup of Big Boi and Otis Redding.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review: Kanye West- Yeezus

Yeezus, the relentlessly jarring new album by Kanye "I Am a God" West, is brilliantly profane and alarmingly vulgar.  And I love it.

The album sounds as if the tapes from all of Rick Rubin's productions were put into a blender and reassembled randomly in order to provide West with something interesting to rap over.  A constant barrage of sonic shards reminiscent of Danzig, LL Cool J, Lords of Acid, American Head Charge, Johnny Cash and the Mars Volta make Yeezus an avant-garde art project.  Needless to say, I don't hear a single.

Not only is West angry, he seems to be inspired by intoxicants.  A dizzying drug album, Yeezus could be considered an angry response to Frank Ocean's equally groundbreaking Channel Orange.  Yeezus is the next logical step in West's nearly unprecedented artistic quest.  The album affirms his status as the most vital artist in popular music of the last ten years. 


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Mary J. Blige and Kem are the recipients of the most positive concert review I've ever written.

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There Stands the Glass reader Gary Shindler wrote an accurate review of Blue Öyster Cult's appearance at Old Shawnee Days.

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The Kansas City Dance Festival is June 28-29 at the Spencer Theater.

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Here's a 78-minute performance by Don Byron's New Gospel Quartet.  RIYL: Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Steve Coleman, Duke Ellington.

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The disturbing video for Poliça's "Tiff" is almost unwatchable.  I don't want to hear anyone wonder why Poliça isn't more popular.

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I just got around to listening to Jimmy Herring's impressive 2012 instrumental album Subject To Change Without Notice.  RIYL: John McLaughlin, Steve Morse, Widespread Panic.

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The kids in internet sensation Unlocking the Truth are delightful.

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In addition to Yeezus, this week's new releases include albums from Billy Bang (his final session), Kenny Barron, Beady Eye, Bester Quartet, J. Cole, Donna the Buffalo, Bill Frisell, High On Fire (two live albums), Locash Cowboys, Maysa, Delbert McClinton and Glen Clark, Mac Miller, Kelly Rowland, Sigor Ros, Wadada Leo Smith, Eddie Spaghetti and Valient Thorr.

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Kansas City Click: The Czar Bar hosts Steady Breather on Monday.

The Tedeschi Trucks Band plays Crossroads KC on Tuesday.

Duke Robillard appears at Knuckleheads on Wednesday.

Gloriana entertain in the Power & Light district on Thursday.

Matt Otto returns to the Blue Room on Friday.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review: The Grisly Hand- Country Singles

Singers and songs.  That's what country's all about.  Even when the two essential elements are pitted against hideous arrangements- as is often the case with in many of the otherwise classic hits by the likes of Ray Price and George Jones- the singers and the songs carry the day. 

Fortunately, the brilliant songs and stellar singing featured on Country Singles, the latest release by Kansas City's The Grisly Hand, are supported by immaculately tasteful playing by the likes of Mike Stover. 

I'd been impressed by Country Singles since its release several weeks ago, but it wasn't until Tuesday night that I gave the album my undivided attention.  I was floored.  Country Singles is almost certainly my favorite non-jazz/non-hip hop album to originate in Kansas City in years.  A few highlights of the consistently great project: the boozer's lament of "Municipal Farm Blues," the domestic strife of "(If You're Leavin') Take the Trash Out (When You Go)" and the exhausted "Coup De Coeur." 

The title track evokes the spark-filled duets of both Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn and John Doe and Exene Cervenka.   Anyone who appreciates those essential partnerships, Grievous Angel, Dave Alvin's solo work or any number of insurgent country albums released by Bloodshot Records will adore Country Singles.


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Darondo has died.

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KCUR aired a profile of Betse Ellis.

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Hammerlord's new We Live EP is brutal.

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The video for Gee Watts' "Nasty" has racked up over 40,000 views in a week.

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Mac Lethal's "Wiggaz That's Hairless" is an amusing novelty.

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MilkDrop made a video for "Let It Drop/Daily Bread".

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Hospital Ships' Jordan Geiger shares his favorite things about Lawrence with CMJ.

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French jazz pianist Tony Tixier, an occasional visitor to Kansas City, is featured in an excellent performance video.

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I discovered Kylesa's solid Ultraviolet via a couple of new best-of 2013 lists.  RIYL: Kyuss, Jane's Addiction, Isis.

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David Murray's Be My Monster Love could be the loudest jazz album of 2013.  That's a good thing.  Macy Gray and Gregory Porter are guests.  That's also a good thing.  The project seems deliberately manic.  That's a bad thing.  The loopy and inane lyrical content could have been written in 1973.  That's a really bad thing.  Maybe I'll come around, but as of now I consider Be My Monster Love to be one of the year's major disappointments. 

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Charlie Musselwhite is looking good these days.

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I was charmed by Paula Cole last night.  Accompanied only by Mark Erelli, the 1998 recipient of the Grammy's Best New Artist award performed with taste and elegance.

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Today marks the fifth anniversary of the untimely death of Esbjorn Svensson.  What might have been…

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Melodic Warrior is the title of Terje Rypdal's new album.

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Demon Queen combines the attacks of Death Grips and Die Antwoord on "Demon Practice".  (Warning- the video contains nudity and blood in equal measure.)

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I can't muster much enthusiasm for the Replacements' reunion.  I hope the shows go well and that everyone has a good time.   After being all about the Replacements from 1983-87, I'm just unable to go back to that place.

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It took a while, but The Uncluded finally won me over.  In fact, I'm not sure we can be friends if you don't like "Delicate Cycle".

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Love My Way: Saluting the New Wave of Classic Rock

In the last 28 days I've attended concerts by Alice In Chains, Soundgarden, Cheap Trick, Urge Overkill, Limp Bizkit, They Might Be Giants, Blue Öyster Cult and the Psychedelic Furs.   Scheduling conflicts kept me away from performances by the Smithereens and Greg Ginn's Black Flag.

With the possible exception of They Might Be Giants and Soundgarden, these bands are well past their artistic and/or commercial primes.  And while I'm far more interested in contemporary sounds than in music from past decades, I enjoyed all but one of these nostalgia-fueled events.  A ranking of the shows in the order of my appreciation of each performance follows.

1. Limp Bizkit Ticket price: $32.  Audience: 800.  Look, I'm not particularly fond of Limp Bizkit, but there was no denying the electrifying nature of its performance at the Granada.

2. They Might Be Giants Ticket price: $24.  Audience: 500.  I have great memories of seeing They Might Be Giants and Poi Dog Pondering at the Grand Emporium on Halloween in 1988.  TMBG is an even better band 25 years later.

3. The Psychedelic Furs Ticket price: $13.65.  Audience: 800.  As Tim Finn's review of last night's concert suggests, the band's enthusiasm was infectious. 

4. Blue Öyster Cult Ticket price: free. Audience: 3,000.  The oldest band in this grouping opened its headlining performance at Old Shawnee Days with the proto-speed metal classic "The Red & the Black".  Aside from dodgy drum and bass solos, the underrated band's 90-minute set remained taut.   BOC deserve to be as revered as Judas Priest, Kiss and Motörhead.

5. Cheap Trick Ticket price: $50.  Audience: 500.  Cheap Trick has returned to its roots.  The band played early influential jams like "Heaven Tonight" with childlike glee. 

6. Alice In Chains Ticket price: $50.  Audience: 40,000.  Alice In Chains' headlining appearance at Rockfest was a slick, by-the-numbers effort.  The songs are great but the polished approach was too slick for me.

7. Urge Overkill Ticket price: free.  Audience: 500.  Like a poor man's version of Cheap Trick, this woulda-shoulda-coulda band played with exuberance. 

8.  Soundgarden Ticket price: $40.  Audience: 3,000.  Soundgarden is my favorite of these eight bands, but their concert was spoiled by nightmarish sound. 

While I'm not too cool to appreciate REO Speedwagon, Styx and Ted Nugent, I passed on their triple-bill appearance at Starlight Theatre last month.  The new and surprisingly vital face of classic rock with roots in the '80s, '90s and 00's has overtaken the previous generations of rock and rollers. 


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Chad Kassem and his Salina-based Acoustic Sounds are featured in a The New York Times story about the vinyl resurgence.  

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The newly announced Buzz Beach Ball concert doesn't replace Kanrocksas- it lacks the hip hop and R&B acts I was most eager to see at the ill-fated festival- but it boasts a pretty darn impressive lineup nonetheless.

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As evidenced by this telling fan footage of the Shy Boys, people standing near the stage would not STFU at the Crossroads Summer Block Party last weekend. 

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Damir Out Loud consists of "eight Berlin-based musicians from five different countries."  The band's new Graduation Day album is RIYL Balkan brass bands, Bobby Hutcherson, ECM. 

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King Khan & the Shrines' "Born to Die" is mindblowingly great.  RIYL: Cream, Nuggets, Ty Segall.

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Who doesn't love Wayne Coyne?

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A video for Dessa's "Call Off Your Ghost" was released today.  RIYL: Ani DiFranco, Doomtree, Alanis Morissette. 

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I can't wait to hear the new album by David Murray Infinity Quartet featuring Macy Gary and Gregory Porter.  Also out this week are new releases from Joseph Arthur, The Black Dahlia Murder, Black Sabbath, Boards of Canada, Marc Cary, Children of Bodom, Davell Crawford, Jason Isbell, Chrisette Michele, Aoife O'Donovan, Gary Peacock and Marilyn Crispell, Carmen Souza and Hezekiah Walker.

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Kansas City Click: The Riot Room hosts Lord Huron on Monday.

David Ramirez appears at the Czar Bar on Tuesday.

David Nail sings at Kanza Hall on Wednesday.

Gee Watts hits the Czar Bar on Thursday.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Concert Review: Elena Urioste and Gabriela Martinez at the Folly Theater

A pair of staggeringly beautiful women who happen to be accomplished musicians made Leoš Janáček's harrowing "Sonata for Violin and Piano" the centerpiece of their concert Friday at the Folly Theater.  What's not to love?  Over 900 people took advantage of the 25th installment of the free Discovery Concert of the Harriman-Jewell Series.  I was completely smitten by the performances of violinist Elena Urioste and pianist Gabriela Martinez.  A sensitive reading of Claude Debussy's "Sonata for Violin and Piano in G minor" served as a secondary highlight.  By the time the inspired rendition of the piece concluded, I more fully understood why jazz musicians including Charlie Parker adored the French composer. 


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I reviewed the There Might Be Giants at Crossroads KC on Thursday.  "Doctor Worm" refuses to crawl out of my noggin- "I'm not a real doctor but I am a real worm- I am an actual worm!"

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Much of the video for Not a Planet's "Kingdom Come" was shot on the lawn of the Nelson-Atkins Museum.

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Nico Yoch has an ambitious video for "Ain't Stoppin'".  RIYL: Ces Cru, Atmosphere, 9th Wonder.  (Via Tony's Kansas City.)

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Sister Wife is the latest recording by power pop maestros Hidden Pictures.

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Doby Watson and Margo May's Watson & May is RIYL the Head and the Heart, Grouplove, NPR.

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"I'm basically a product of my record collection."  Learning that Mikael Akerfeldt of Opeth is a fellow obsessive geek makes me happy. 

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I'm delighted and surprised to see that Azymuth is being reclaimed by fashionable DJs.

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Bonnie Prince Billy and Dawn McCarthy's cover of "Omaha" floors me.

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Light In the Attic put together a nice miniature documentary on Bobby Whitlock.

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The end is nigh.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Selena Gomez!

I stood behind a couple of bros during a portion of Limp Bizkit's concert Sunday at the Granada.  (Here's my review.)  Not only did they know every word to every song, the ecstatic dudes appeared to associate specific memories from high school with hits like "My Way."  Limp Bizkit was obviously their favorite band- then, now and always. 

I envy that sort of single-minded dedication.  My love of most everything makes obsessing on just one thing impossible.

That's why I was delighted when I encountered the handiwork of a kid in my neighborhood.  I can't remember the last time I scrawled a musician's name on a driveway in pink chalk.


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Mac Lethal is an author.

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Making Movies made a video for "Cuna De Vida".

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"The Loon" is a new name-your-own-price track by The Jinxed.  RIYL: Ben Folds Five, Pablo Cruise, Ha Ha Tonka.

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I'm digging Made To Break's Provoke.  RIYL:  Ken Vandermark, Matthew Shipp, skronk. 

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Maybe I'm not taking the right drugs, but I'm not hearing what everybody else is hearing in Daft Punk's Random Access Memories.  While I enjoy the acclaimed album, it's just an homage to the dance music of 1976.

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Remember Urge Overkill?  The band's free concert at a suburban shopping mall last weekend was superb.

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The week's new releases of the most interest to me come from David Binney, Camera Obscura, Future Bible Heroes, the Giovanni Guidi Trio, Megadeth, Luis Perdomo, Queens of the Stone Age, Quercus (June Tabor, Iain Ballamy and Huw Warren) and Third Reel.  I'll get to those albums after I tire of my sordid little fling with Gretchen Wilson's new album of cover songs.

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Kansas City Click: The XX appear at the Uptown Theater on Tuesday.

The Bryant Carter Band perform before The Royals' game on Wednesday.

Richard Thompson may perform the bleakest song ever written at the Folly Theater on Thursday.

Cowboy Indian Bear headline the free Crossroads Block Party on Friday.

(Original images by There Stands the Glass.)

Mulgrew Miller, 1955-2013

The day after I learned that Mulgrew Miller had died, I shuffled into my museum of dead people to inspect my collection of the pianist's works. I uncovered a ticket stub for a 1994 concert at the Folly Theater titled "Four For Phineas."  

The four-piano tribute to Phineas Newborn, Jr., included Miller and some combination of James Williams, John Hicks, Harold Mabern, Geoff Keezer and Donald Brown.  (I want to say that Jay McShann was also in the mix as a special guest artist, but a cursory search doesn't provide any evidence of that fine concept.)

The stub indicates that I paid $17.50 to attend the Sunday afternoon show.  The relatively expensive ticket reflects the tenor of those times.  Miller was a heavily promoted artist signed to a major label.   The accepted wisdom was that he'd become a major star.  The idea seems hopelessly quaint today.  The ongoing marginalization of jazz began to accelerate in the mid-'90s.  The 1994 concert might have represented Miller's commercial- if not artistic- pinnacle.

Although I enjoy his recent work for MaxJazz, I find myself drawn to Miller's material for Landmark.  (That's Kenny Garrett on sax.) 

In today's harsh climate, I wonder what kind of career awaits aspiring tradition-minded jazz pianists.  Maybe the best a young artist in possession of a portion of Miller's bluesy earthiness and sparkling intelligence could hope for is a handful of regular gigs at an upscale piano bar and a teaching position at a local college.  There's no shame in that prospect, of course, but the era in which guys could fill large concert halls playing Phineas Newborn selections in support of a major label album are long gone.


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Clarence Burke, Jr. of the Five Stairsteps has died.

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The schadenfreude that's greeted the announcement of the cancelation of Kanrocksas is discouraging.  What's with all the bitter people who can't stand the idea of others having a good time?

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Beau Bledsoe offers a fascinating peek behind the curtains at Fado Novato's successful fundraising campaign to finance an extended trip to Portugal.

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Tech N9ne is featured on Wrekonize's "Freak".

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Hodgy Beats' "Years" is impressive.  RIYL: OFWGKTA, alcohol, "Swimming Pools (Drank)."

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People continue to attempt to commiserate with me about my work at Rockfest.  They don't get it.  I relish the annual event.  Here's an anecdote from this year's edition of Rockfest.  As the Danish band Volbeat played a medley of Johnny Cash covers, I watched a pair of strangers bond over their NASCAR tattoos.  Witnessing the encounter filled me with joy. 

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Seen But Not Heard: Celebration at the Station 2013

I've never hesitated to share my affection for Celebration at the Station. The Kansas City Symphony's concert on Memorial Day weekend is one of my favorite annual events. As the embedded video from my perch near the back of the throng indicates, Celebration at the Station is becoming a victim of its own success. If you listen carefully, you might be able to make out guest artist Oleta Adams singing "Get Here" underneath the murmur of the crowd. The sound emitted by two supplemental speakers hoisted in the air by cranes isn't sufficient. I'm not complaining- the event is free and anyone who wants to appreciate the performance can either arrive early or jockey for position near the stage.

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I reviewed Cheap Trick's concert Saturday at Harrah's Casino.

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Henri Dutilleux died last week. The composer was 97.

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Drummer Ed Shaughnessy has died.

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Flamenco guitarist Niño Miguel has died. (Via Beau Bledsoe.)

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"I'm a hero in my hometown, baby!" The video for Action Bronson's "Strictly 4 My Jeeps" has to be seen to be believed.

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I almost made it to Soundset this year.

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Quartette Humaine, the new release by the acoustic quartet of Bob James, David Sanborn, James Genus and Steve Gadd, is an excellent throwback album in the vein of the Heath Brothers and Grover Washington, Jr.

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After I check out the latest album by The-Dream, I'll investigate this week's new releases by Baths, Terence Blanchard, Blood Ceremony, Tamar Braxton, Eliane Elias, John Fogerty, Hot Club of Cowtown, Kylesa, Laura Marling and Tricky.

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Kansas City Click: Chelsea Crowell performs Tuesday at Knuckleheads.

The RecordBar hosts the Detroit Cobras on Wednesday.

Malachy Papers return to the Brick on Thursday. (Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

(Original cinematography by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review: George Strait- Love Is Everything

If I add up incidental listening at bars, the homes of family and friends, retail outlets and radio play in addition to the spins I've given my own formidable collection of albums and CDs, I reckon I've spent as much time listening to George Strait as any single musician.  I'm fine with that.

And I'm hardly alone.  Billboard magazine just reported that the new release Love Is Everything is "Strait's 18th top 10 album on the Billboard 200" and is his 25th album to top the country chart. 

Strait is nothing if not consistent.  Love Is Everything may lack a stone-cold classic like "Chill of an Early Fall", but new tracks including "I Just Can't Go On Dying Like This" and "Sittin' On the Fence" are as good as mainstream country gets in 2013.  Even the most cliché-ridden songs contain pleasing subtleties.  "I Believe", a paean to faith, isn't about Jesus as much as it is a candid acknowledgment of crippling pain. 

It's high time for me to quit taking King George for granted.


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I reviewed Soundgarden's sodden appearance at the Midland.

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Tim Finn's 10 of the Year's Best Local Music Releases (so far) alerted me to a couple projects that weren't on my radar.  My similar entry is here.

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I'm entranced by Fabrice Sotton's absurdly obscure new Le pas du guépard.  RIYL: Erik Satie, Ibdullah Ibrahim, Mark Isham. 

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Free Melvins if you should choose to live that lifestyle: here.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Review: C.J. Boyd at Psychfest

I was the first paying customer through the door at the 2013 edition of KC Psychfest.  I was excited to see the kickoff set by C.J. Boyd.  I was also eager to soak up the same sort of positive vibes emitted at last year's inaugural event.  The energy was so welcoming that I wasn't the least bit perturbed that Boyd's performance was delayed.  (I got the impression that he and the organizers were waiting for the blinding sun streaming through the west windows of the event's "HQ" to go down.)  Boyd played loop-based drones that sounded like Mike Watt on a Charles Mingus bender.  And yeah, he was as good as that combination of references implies.


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I'd like to think that I immediately began goofing on Jim Morrison's vocals and lyrics the first time I heard "Light My Fire."  Yet Morrison's effort is kept credible by those astonishing keyboards.  When I went through my obligatory Doors phase as a teen, I was more attracted to the sonic feel of "Touch Me," "Peace Frog" and "Soul Kitchen" than the vocalist's bellowing.  I never bought into the mystique of the Lizard King, but I really dug the feel of the band.  Ray Manzarek's subsequent production work with bands like X indicated that he truly "got it."   (He's captured here performing with X last year.)  Manzarek died yesterday.

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House producer and vocalist Romanthony has died.

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I harp on the "where's-the-audience" theme for the umpteenth time in my review of one of last weekend's performances by the Matt Otto/Alan Ferber Quartet.

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Here's a free KC Psychfest 2013 sampler.

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WBGO captured the Miguel Zenon Quartet last week at the Village Vanguard.

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Why, yes, I am tantalized by the prospect of another groundbreaking Kanye West album.  Thanks for asking.

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I'll make time for this week's new releases by Airbourne, JC Brooks & Uptown Sound, Daft Punk, Bob James/David Sanborn, French Montana, The National and Darius Rucker as soon as I get my fill of Tap: John Zorn's Book of Angels, Vol. 20 by Pat Metheny.

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Kansas City Click: Oklahoman John Fulbright returns to Knuckleheads on Tuesday.

Greg Enemy is part of Wednesday's bill at the RecordBar.

Antiseen plays Thursday at Davey's.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review: Rodan- Fifteen Quiet Years

Mods and rockers.  East coast or west coast hip hop.  Acoustic Miles and Dylan versus the plugged-in versions of the icons.  The seemingly mandatory obligation to pick a side confounds me.  I never understood why punk/indie-rock and metal had to be mutually exclusive genres.  I love Husker Dü and Judas Priest, Fugazi and Van Halen. 

That's why bands like Rodan appeal to me.  Rodan's three-year existence ended in 1994, before subgenres like metalcore and mathrock became codified.  It's easy to suggest that the members of Rodan were simply in thrall of Sonic Youth and fellow Louisville band Slint, but I hear Rodan's music as a bracing hybrid of metal and punk that contains traces of both the Minutemen and Megadeth.

A press release for Fifteen Quiet Years notes that "the "collection includes the 1994 BBC Peel session, together with all of Rodan's long-out-of-print 7"s and compilation tracks."  It will be released on June 11.  A new interview with the surviving members of Rodan in The Village Voice provides additional context on the project.

Fifteen Quiet Years is highly recommended to listeners nostalgic for the era in which left-of-the-dial college radio served as a vital lifeline and for a slightly younger audience eager to explore the sounds that inspired bands like the Appleseed Cast and Cursive.


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Marva Whitney's God, the Devil & James Brown: Memoirs of a Funky Diva was published last month.

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"No Touching" is putting OoberGeek on the map. (Via the Mills Record Company Blog.)

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The video for Hospital Ships' "Servants" is messed up (in a good way).

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The Grisly Hand is giving away a live version of "Chucky".

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I misjudged Rittz.  The Strange Music signee sounds pretty good with Mike Posner on "Switch Lanes".

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Myron & E's "If I Gave You My Love" is RIYL Northern Soul, 1968, Jerry Butler.

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Howard Reich wrote a profile of Bob Koester.

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"… but the little girls understand."  I Heart Local Music documents Thursday's sold-out show headlined by Marina and the Diamonds.

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Scout Niblett's "Gun" is remarkable.  RIYL: Heartless Bastards, Liz Phair, Lenny Kaye.

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Wut.

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Chuck D is angry.  (And I like it.)

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review- Dalla In Jazz

Allow me to share an anecdote from my last trip to Rome.

The simple continental breakfast provided by a budget hostel was offered in a windowless room near the laundry facility.  The lights were automatically extinguished every time someone exited the room, requiring a guest to get up and manually flip a switch.  The Japanese and African travelers pretended to ignore the inconvenience.  The German and English tourists muttered amongst themselves.  A Californian couldn't restrain herself after the tenth blackout in about twenty minutes.

"F**king Italians," she screamed. 

The Italian experience can prove maddening to outsiders.  It's enchanting and annoying, beautiful and grating, lovely and obnoxious, sublime and confrontational.  That's how I feel when I listen to Dalla In Jazz.

The collection contains smooth jazz, smarmy lounge jazz, adventurous improvisational sounds worthy of Soul Note and ECM, Serge Gainsbourg-style sleaze (that's a good thing) and a couple selections with a Tunisian twist.  It's fair to say that I have no idea what's going on.  I had no prior awareness of Lucio Dalla when I began listening to the tribute album.  I'm only vaguely familiar with a couple of the musicians, but among the interesting aritsts now on my radar are Vinicio Capossela, Gegé Telesforo and the adventurous trumpet/accordion duo of Fabrizio Bosso and Luciano Biondini.

I love Italy.


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I reviewed Rockfest.

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Antennas Up made an amusing video for "Coming On".

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Footage of Reach and an excellent band opening for Talib Kweli features drummer Ryan Lee on keyboards.

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Helker may represent the future of rock and roll.  RIYL: Dio, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest.

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I'm pleased to introduce you to LeCroix Winget.  RIYL: Michelle Shocked, Lightinin' Hopkins, Kimya Dawson.  (Via Beau Bledsoe.)

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Last week I wrote that I was looking forward to hearing Joshua Redman's new album Walking Shadows.  Well, I loathe it.  The strings don't bother me.  The extreme conservatism, however, grates on me.

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The lineup for the 27th annual JazzReggae Fest doesn't include a single jazz artist.  Even so, I approve of any festival that presents both Barrington Levy and Common.

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After I listen to the new album by Red Line Chemistry, I'm going to check out this week's new releases by Anamanaguchi, Jason Boland, Will Calhoun, the Del-Lords, Dillinger Escape Plan, Eve, Juan Luis Guerra, Immolation, Jaga Jazzist, Glenn Jones, Mark Lanegan and Duke Garwood, Christian McBride, Laura Mvula and George Strait.

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Kansas City Click: Hansel und Gretyl appear at the Riot Room on Tuesday.

Scribbling Idiots are part of Wednesday's bill at the RecordBar.

Alan Ferber and Matt Otto perform Thursday at the Westport Coffee House.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Listen, Do You Want To Know a Secret?

Do you want to know a secret?  Do you promise not to tell?  Let me whisper in your ear. 

I've been holding out on readers of There Stands the Glass for years.  I'll finally divulge one of the choicest music-related secrets in Kansas City.

The event calendar of UMKC's Conservatory of Music and Dance is a hidden treasure trove for music lovers.  Dozens of recitals take place all over town near the end of each semester.

On Wednesday the calendar led me to Immanuel Lutheran Church to witness Michael Shults' doctoral recital.  The performance indicated that Branford Marsalis isn't the only jazz saxophonist capable of applying jaw-dropping technique to classical selections.  I'm still recovering from Shults' authoritative rendition of Luciano Berio's pernicious "Sequenza".  Shao Zhang's appearance at White Recital Hall this evening is also tempting.

Several factors contribute to the rewarding nature of these concerts.  They're usually free and almost always take place in pristine listening environments.  The modest audiences consisting largely of classmates, family, friends and faculty allow plenty of room for curious interlopers like me.  The Conservatory's faculty includes geniuses like Zhou Long and Bobby Watson.  The students' recitals, not surprisingly, are invariably excellent.  

Mum's the word.


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Zoo of B. Hood has died.

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I'm the subject of an interview with Chris DeLine of Mills Record Company.  Meanwhile, David Hudnall spoke to DeLine.

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Tech N9ne is featured on Harry Fraud's "Rising".

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Erik Voeks' new four-song EP is titled Finulu.  RIYL: the dB's, Eric Matthews, Shoes.

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77 Jefferson created a handy preview video for its new Rarities, Vol. 2 album.  RIYL: the Blue Riddim Band, Gregory Isaacs, Black Uhuru.

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The Association for Recorded Sound Collections is holding its annual conference in Kansas City on May 15-18.
(Tip via TSTG reader Gary.)

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Presented without commentary: "Meek Mill concert presented by the Jamaal Charles Foundation".

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José James shows how it's done on an absurdly sexy rendition of Al Green's "Simply Beautiful".

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The video for the Burnt Ones' "Web"  was "shot on glorious VHS."  RIYL: Ty Segall, Nuggets, tape hiss.

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Pat Martino is still tearing it up.

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I wish that I didn't have an intimate understanding of Drive-By Truckers' "Heathens".

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Kanye West's production on Pusha T's "Numbers On the Boards" is amazing.

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"Had a dream last night about you, my friend."

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review: Bassekou Kouyate- Jama Ko

Jama Ko, the new album by Bassekou Kouyate, is currently ranked #2,809 on Amazon's music sales chart.  That's a respectable achievement for a Malian musician, but I'm rooting for it to become a true crossover hit along the lines of King Sunny Adé's Juju Music and Ali Farke Touré's Talking Timbuktu.  Most of the plentiful rave reviews of Jama Ko- an album as stunning as it is enjoyable- emphasize the project's awful backstory.  Here's a typical analysis.  Knowledge of the terribly disturbing Malian siege adds context to Jama Ko, but the music transcends all political and social considerations.   The official 85-second EPK doesn't really get the job done.  A gorgeous music video for the title track is much more effective at conveying the sensuous quality of the album.


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Cedric Brooks of the Skatalites has died.

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I'm enjoying Around the Way, the new release by Blaxel Rose and Ace Fadal.  RIYL: ASAP Rocky, 7th Heaven, Wu-Tang. (Tip via the Mills Record Company blog.)

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"Give me back my pyramid- I'm trying to free Kansas City!"  It would seem that the world is catching up with Janelle Monae.  Here's "Q.U.E.E.N.".

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Who's willing to join me at the Missouri Big Ass Rock Festival?

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In hindsight, I should have been even harsher in my review of T.I.'s April concert at the Sprint Center.  He phoned it in.  The show would have so much better if T.I. and B.o.B could have been bothered to perform the strong new "Memories Back Then".

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"Down In the Dirt" is the first new Black Flag song in over two decades.

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"My name is Trevante- I'm a singer."  Ha ha!  "Bad Girl" is absurd.

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I'll be darned if Volbeat's Outlaw Gentlemen and Shady Ladies isn't one of the most listenable rock albums of 2013.  RIYL: Social Distortion, melody, Metallica's radio hits.

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Operation Northwoods' The Bureau of Fiction is RIYL: ECM, forests, Bill Frisell.

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I'm six weeks late to the 50 Cent/Kendrick Lamar party.  "We Up" is almost good.

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Howl is "Demonic".

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I'll audition this week's new albums by James Cotton Mikal Cronin, Patty Griffin, Havoc, Talib Kweli, Lady Antebellum, Ivan Lins, Natalie Maines, the Pistol Annies, Cassie Taylor and Uncluded after I fully absorb Joshua Redman's Walking Shadows.

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Kansas City Click: iamdynamite is Tuesday's headliner at the RecordBar.

The Riot Room hosts Andre Nickatina on Wednesday.

Chris Thomas King returns to Knuckleheads on Thursday.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review: Reach- Live at RecordBar

When Reach insistently repeats the refrain "Hip Hop Is Alive" on his new album Live at RecordBar, he isn't celebrating the latest success of Wale or 2 Chainz.  Reach is a true believer in the original purist ideals of hip hop.  The new release- his fourth full-length album- serves as affirmation of Reach's principles.  Supported by the funk/jam band Mouth, DJ Ataxic and vocalists Schelli Tolliver, Sausha Brooks and Vance Ashworth, the well-recorded collaboration brings out the best in each participant.  Live at RecordBar represents most everything I respect but too rarely encounter in live hip hop performances.


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Gov't Mule was good on Tuesday.  Here's my review.  Diana Krall was great on Wednesday.  Here's my review.

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Jeff Hanneman of Slayer has died.

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Chris Kelly, better known as Mack Daddy of Kriss Kross, has died.

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Sid Selvidge has died.  Listen to "The River" from his 2003 album A Little Bit of Rain if you're in need a good cry.

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The single best live performance I witnessed last week was a rendition of Teri Quinn's "Shanafelt" at the senior recital of Sarrah Cantrell at UMKC's White Recital Hall.

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Betse Ellis performed "Straight to Hell" on KDHX.

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As I watched the attractive, well-heeled and diverse audience of about 10,000 take in Quixotic's sublime Surfaces performance last Sunday at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, it occurred to me that the event was the antithesis of Rockfest.  And in truth, I'm more of a Rockfest kind of guy.

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Les Izmore was a guest on KCUR's Central Standard.  (Not to be a stickler, but the "new" solo album in question was released in 2011.)

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I reviewed Matt Kane's Suit Up! at Plastic Sax earlier this week.

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De La Soul's new "Get Away" is impressive.

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I'm not prepared to endorse The Uncluded, the new partnership between Aesop Rock and Kimya Dawson, but it's entirely possible that I'll come around.  RIYL: parallel universes, primitivism, schizophrenia. 

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Dag- the lineup of Soundset 2013 goes from Atmosphere to Tech N9ne. 

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Two or three of you crusty old bastards highly-valued readers will be glad to hear that Spider John Koerner's new What's Left of Spider John is a lot of fun.  RIYL: Minnesota, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Mississippi John Hurt. 

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Questlove is quite possibly the best person alive.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

The 20 Best Kansas City-Related Albums of 2013 (so far)

Much of the Kansas City music community is rightfully engaged in self-congratulatory praise inspired by the notably strong showing of new releases in 2013.  A comment made by Matt of Jeopardy of Contentment at this site last week compelled me to join the chorus.  Here's a list of my twenty favorite Kansas City-related new releases of the past four months.  I created a Spotify playlist that includes all but five of my selections.


1. Mark Lowrey- Tangos For 18th Street (review at Plastic Sax)
2. The Grisly Hand- Country Singles
3. Pat Metheny- The Orchestrion Project
4. Eddie Moore and the Outer Circle- The Freedom of Expression (review at Plastic Sax)
5. Cherokee Rock Rifle- Ta-Li (review at There Stands the Glass)
6. Alaturka- Yalniz (review at Plastic Sax)
7. Dutch Newman- Schorre's Son
8. Cowboy Indian Bear- Live Old, Die Young
9. Reach- Live at the RecordBar (review at There Stands the Glass)
10. Ces Cru- Constant Energy Struggles (review at There Stands the Glass)
11. The Eldar Djangirov Trio- Breakthrough
12. Kutt Calhoun- Black Gold
13. The BD Trio- Live (review at Plastic Sax)
14. Appleseed Cast- Illumination Ritual
15. Heartfelt Anarchy- Heartfelt Anarchy
16. The Matt Kane Trio- Suit Up! (review at Plastic Sax)
17. Beau Bledsoe/Victoria Botero- Un Ramo de Voz
18. The Great Vehicle- The People's Cathedral of Wavelengths
19. Tate Stevens- Tate Stevens
20. Soft Reeds- Blank City


My list is not comprehensive.  I haven't heard a lot of stuff.  And there's plenty of music that simply doesn't appeal to me.  I encourage readers to investigate the sites linked to the right for additional commentary about the music being created in Kansas City.  The Mailbox features several new releases in today's podcast.  And The Mills Record Company Blog has been on fire lately. 

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

George Jones, 1931-2013

The King is Gone (And So Are You).

George Jones has died.  I detest seeing the man's career reduced to a single song and quick references to boozing, no-shows and heartbreak.  Sure, I love the tractor story as much as anyone, but overlooking the man's music would be tragic.  With that in mind, here are five selections from Jones' vast catalog that had a profound impact on me.

• Hearing "White Lightning" and "The Race Is On" on repeat is one of my earliest childhood memories.  My dad loved the Possum.
• Jones' adult-themed duets introduced me to the wild side of life when I was an impressionable kid.  He gets kinky with Melba Montgomery on "Let's Invite Them Over".
• I've always resented the countrypolitan production that came to characterize his work, but no amount of schmaltz can negate Jones' emoting on weepers like "These Days (I Barely Get By)".
• Okay, I'll give you one stereotypical drinking song. "If Drinkin' Don't Kill Me (Her Memory Will)".
• Jones' faith shouldn't be whitewashed from his legacy.   His sly personality is ideally suited to the scathing "Would They Love Him Down In Shreveport?"

"You know this old world is full of singers but only a few are chosen to tear your heart out when they sing.- "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes"


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Bob Brozman has died.  It's my understanding that Bob was the brother of Jack Brozman, the co-founder of Streetside Records.  Can a There Stands the Glass reader confirm this connection?

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The video for Dead Voices' "Dream Notes" is quite good.

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The Soft Reeds performed on KSHB's morning show.

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Gurf Morlix's Gurf Morlix Finds the Present Tense is RIYL Lucinda Williams, sadness and the truth.

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"He's my rebel guy that wouldn't hurt a fly."  Rachelle Spector, the wife of Phil Spector, created a video for "PS I Love You", a tribute to her incarcerated husband. Trust me- it's worthy of your attention.  (Via Jazz Wax.)

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I listened to the entirely of Love Has Come For You, the new collaboration between Steve Martin and Edie Brickeill, without becoming annoyed or exasperated.  A song titled "Shawnee" won me over.

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"I'll never sell out."  Ha ha!  The Dream tells jokes on his preposterous new hit "Slow It Down".

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Omar Sosa and Paolo Fresu's Tiny Desk Concert set is gorgeous.

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The best moments of Owiny Sigoma Band's Power Punch are as good as anything that's been released in 2013.  The worst moments, however, are pure dreck.  RIYL: "Kumbaya," Damon Albarn and Tony Allen. 

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Here's the "ECM Player" for the Craig Taborn Trio's Chants.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review: Cherokee Rock Rifle- Ta-Li

Cherokee Rock Rifle enjoys an enviable status among the cool kids in Kansas City.  In addition to being a good guy, vocalist Dutch Humphrey works as a bartender at one of the town's most fashionable music venues.  His band, consequently, is a compulsory member of the in-crowd. 

That sort of reasoning has never swayed me.  I regularly rip the music made by my friends and associates.  I'm a jerk that way.

Thankfully, I love Ta-Li, Cherokee Rock Rifle's new six-song EP, on its own merits.  It compares favorably to the output of like-minded bands including Clutch, Valient Thorr and Black Lips.  The quintet's antecedents include Nazareth, Humble Pie and Accept.  In other words, Cherokee Rock Rifle makes snarling blues-based rock designed to accompany illicit activity. 

Because I've been ailing, it's been a long, lonely time since I cut loose.  The hell-raising Ta-Li will be my companion the next time I'm in a proper mindset to f*** s*** up.   


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The least expensive tickets at the door of T.I.'s concert at the Sprint Saturday last Saturday were $60.  The headliner phoned it in.  Here's my review of the lackluster performance by one of my favorite rappers.

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I caught wholesome heartthrob Tate Stevens' second show at the Midland.  Here's my review.

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Chrissie Amphlett of the Divinyls,  Richie Havens and Artie "Blues Boy" White have died.

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Music-oriented movies at the forthcoming Middle of the Map Film Fest include A Band Called Death and The Frames: In a Deep Shade.

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"This Grey Goose tastes like water."  Brett Gretsky promotes its new release.

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I insist that Tyga supervise the soundtrack to the hypothetical sequel of Idiocracy.  After listening to the entirety of the young star's Molly-centric Hotel California album, I question America's sustainability.

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Christian McBride played the National Anthem at an NBA game last week.

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I loathe TV comedians, but I have to admit that I laughed at Jimmy Kimmel's Coachella-related stunt.

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I can't wait to hear this week's new albums by JD Allen, the Appleseed Cast, Brass Bed, Fantasia, Har Mar Superstar, Wallace Roney, Edward Simon, Snoop Lion, Thee Oh Sees, Craig Taborn, Frank Turner, Carlos Vives and Rob Zombie.  Cowboy Indian Bear's Live Old, Die Young  is at the top of my list.

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Kansas City Click: Black Mountain perform at the RecordBar on Tuesday.

Early Graves play the Czar Bar on Wednesday.

Davey's hosts Cowboy Indian Bear on Thursday.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review: Ghostface Killah and Adrian Younge- Twelve Reasons To Die

I watched Safe House, a solid action flick starring Denzel Washington (and featuring Rubén Blades) on cable earlier this week.   It was little different than dozens of organized crime, complex caper and government conspiracy movies I've enjoyed.  I could see how it was going to play out within the first fifteen minutes.  I didn't mind.  Familiar formulas can provide solace. 

I feel much the same way about Twelve Reasons To Die, the new collaboration between Ghostface Killah and Adrian Younge.  With amusingly self-referential lyrics and a sound that deliberately evokes Curtis Mayfield's Super Fly and Isaac Hayes' Shaft, it's at least as good as Ghost's 1996 2006 classic Fishscale. 

The narrative is… Oh, who am I kidding?  This album has my name written all over it- of course I love it.  Anyone who shares my affection for the Wu-Tang Clan and early '70s blaxploitation soundtracks will adore Twelve Reasons To Die.


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Scott Miller of Game Theory and the Loud Family has died.

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Jeneé Osterheldt wrote a fine profile of Kerwin Young.

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Steddy P. already knows that I don't like his video for "Vacay".

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My former coworker Glenn Jones sure can play guitar with emotional authority.

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The Haxan Cloak's Excavation is every bit as as good as critics have suggested.  RIYL: Tangerine Dream, narcotics, seances.

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Curses!  Just when I thought my feelings for the Three O'Clock had been permanently suppressed, a new compilation has revived those undesirable pangs of nostalgia. 

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Iggy Pop has jokes.

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Kansas City Click: My official picks are published here.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)

Album Review: Chelsea Light Moving

Chelsea Light Moving is a flawed album.  The self-titled release by Thurston's Moore's new band is loaded with cringeworthy moments.  Then why do I keep listening?  It's not because of Moore's lyrics.  Seemingly intended as an homage to Patti Smith and Lou Reed, Moore's good intentions frequently go awry without the editorial guidance he must have received in Sonic Youth.

But those guitars… 

In the same way classic rock and technical metal fans adore the exhibitions of Steve Vai and Joe Satriani, I relish hearing Moore's scuzzy post-punk constructs.  More than nostalgia is at play.  Sure, I bought Evol as a new release in 1986 and saw Sonic Youth a few months later at the Outhouse.  Moore's riffs may be recycled, but they're timeless.

An 18-minute performance for KEXP captures the Chelsea Light Moving aesthetic.


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I didn't know that George Jackson co-wrote "Old Time Rock and Roll" until I read his obituary yesterday.   So "Down Home Blues" is an answer song to the Bob Seger hit?  Mind blown. 

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Chi Cheng of Deftones has died.

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Farout, the bearded dude in Brett Gretzky, may be Missouri's next hip hop star.  The duo's "Crows" is available as a free download.

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I'll listen to the new albums by Kid Cudi, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the Flaming Lips, Ghost B., Ghostface Killah, Volbeat and Mel Waiters, as soon as I get my fill of the latest dispatch from Willie Nelson.

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Kansas City Click: The RecordBar hosts The Mowgli's on Tuesday.

Fear Factory is at the Riot Room on Wednesday.

Spooner Oldham (!) supports Pegi Young at the Riot Room Czar Bar on Thursday.

Flux Pavilion will light up the Midland on Friday.

(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)